Q doesn’t believe in leaving well enough alone. So, when we learned that New York City had rejected a sign saying, “Leaving Brooklyn: Oy vey!” we asked readers to give us a sign of their own.
We loved a lot of these, but we couldn’t decide on The One. So we went with two first-place champs and quite a few honorable mentions. Winners get Chicago guidebooks. (By the way, the winning town of choice inspired many, many “come again” signs.)
First place:
Leaving Intercourse, Pa.: Was it good for you?
–Annette Cooke, Streamwood
Leaving Intercourse, Pa.: You’ll call, won’t you?
–Cathy Williams, Naperville
Now we’re playing the field:
Leaving Las Vegas: No hard feelings?
Leaving Rochester, N.Y.: Someday my prints will come.
Leaving San Francisco: We love you to a fault.
–C. Michael Becker, Naperville
Leaving International Falls, Minn.: Chill out!
–Robert Broschart, Crown Point, Ind.
Leaving Boston: Bean there, done that!
–Karen Cremerius, Algonquin
Leaving Hershey: Choc-o-late up to experience.
–Mary Beth Crosser, Monee
Leaving California’s Napa Valley: No More Wining!
–Barbara Crowe-Hickey, Riverside
Springfield: All Fixed?
Washington, D.C.: Back to reality.
Seattle: But not Starbucks.
–Rosemary Dolowy, Chicago
Leaving Wisconsin: Cheese, it was nice of you to visit.
–Jana Dorn, Wood Dale
Leaving Madison, Wis.: Fascist knaves, begone!
–Pat Dragisic, Chicago
Leaving Bloomington: It’s not Normal!
–Mary Kathryn Dunn, Westmont
Leaving Hawaii: We lei odds that you’ll be back soon!
Leaving Columbus: Thank you for discovering Columbus.
–Paul Dunn, Bloomington
Leaving Niagara Falls, N.Y.: The honeymoon’s over!
Leaving Detroit: No mo’ Motown!
–Sharon Dynek, Chicago
Leaving Redmond, Wash: Control + Alt + Delete.
–Liisa Eckersberg, Wilmette
On a sign leaving Eastpoint, Maine: Go West, young man!
–Rick Evans, Wheeling
Leaving Leavenworth, Kan.: Come back when you get more time.
–Larry Ellis, Normal
Sign leaving Chicago: Chica-gone.
–James Hardy, Frankfort
Leaving Iowa: What the hell is a caucus, anyway?
Leaving Los Angeles: Where plastic surgeons make mountains out of molehills.
–Pam Herstein, Buffalo Grove
Twin Falls, Idaho: Come back again, come back again.
–Joanne Jurich, Chicago
Leaving the Everglades: See ya later, alligator.
–Ethan Kogan, Wilmette
Chicago: We will miss you, Daley.
Indianapolis: There’s always vroom for you.
Detroit: You auto stay longer!
Niagara, N.Y.: Don’t fall for somewhere else.
Louisville: They’re off! Come back to watch.
Washington, D.C.: Did you get any of what you’re paying for?
–Ralph Kravis, La Grange
Leaving Oak Park: In Ernest.
Leaving Mackinac Island: Oh, fudge!
–Melinda Krick, Paulding, Ohio
Leaving Venice: Too much canal-oli.
–Ted Lederer, Kankakee
Leaving Los Alamos: We know how to make a big impression!
–Jerry Levy, Deerfield
Leaving Milwaukee: Hope you had the wurst time.
Leaving the Grand Canyon: Thanks for carving out time to see us.
–Melanie Mackin, Naperville
Leaving Florida: Orange ya glad you came to visit us?
Leaving Chicago: Thanks for having voted in our next election.
–Melanie Mackin, Naperville
Leaving Louisiana: Good bayou.
Leaving Florida: You can turn off your turn signal now.
–Vern Magnesen, Elmhurst
Leaving Bismarck: Send heat.
–Betty Mantell, Chicago
Leaving the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah: Don’t look back!
–Linda Mitchell, Frankfort
Leaving Bible Belt: Time to really buckle up!
–Ed Nemmers, Skokie
Leaving Peoria: Congratulations, you just played in Peoria!
–Ross Peterson, Worth
Leaving Florida Everglades: Later, gator.
Leaving Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.: Buy, buy now!
Leaving Meigs Field: X-it carefully.
–Bud and Marge Podrazik, Chicago
Leaving Valdez, Alaska: Slick move.
–Marty Rose, Tinley Park
Leaving Iraq: Tanks a lot!
Leaving Bermuda: We enjoyed your short stay.
Leaving Middle-Earth: Please pay Tolkien.
Leaving the City of Chicago: Give us thy Daley bread!
–Shevawn Scanlon Everett, La Grange
Leaving Gary: Congratulations.
Leaving Rosemont: End of exorbitant parking fee zone.
–Larry Schuetz, Rolling Meadows
Oregon: And stay out!
–Jean Smiling Coyote, Chicago
Leaving Des Plaines: Leaving des trains too!
–Cheryl Smith, Des Plaines
Leaving Atlantic City: Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
–Ervin Stembol, Alexandria, Va.
Leaving Houston: Do we have a problem?
Leaving Las Vegas: Odds on, you’ll be back.
Leaving Hershey, Pa.: Hugs and kisses.
Leaving Green Bay, Wis.: Don’t go Favre.
–Marge Stepanek, Wauconda
Leaving Memphis: Thank yuh very muuuch.
–Michael Toon, Shorewood
Leaving Indianapolis: Go fast, speed away.
Leaving President Bush’s ranch, Crawford, Texas: No left turns.
–Pete Tullsen, Elmhurst
Leaving Mt. Juliet, Tenn.: Parting is such sweet sorrow.
–Amy Wesner, South Holland
Leaving Los Angeles: Welcome back to reality.
–Greg Zbylut, Chicago
